**3. An overview of the Spanish goat sector's current status**

### **3.1 Census, distribution, and husbandry**

The last available goat census shows that the world goat population in 2016 already exceeded 1 billion (1,002,810,368 heads) [3]: 55.4% of the census was located in Asia, 38.7% in Africa, 3.8% in America, 1.7% in Europe, and 0.4% in Oceania.

Spain had approximately 3,088,000 registered heads in 2016 (state official census), representing 24.9% of the total European Union (EU) goat census (12,392,000 heads), occupying the second position in the ranking of countries with the highest goat numbers in the EU after Greece (3,990,000—32.2%) [6].

From the total number of Spanish goats, the majority (74.69%) is classified as reproductive females and only 3.23% are reproductive males; the rest of the livestock census are animals younger than 12 months (771,628 heads).

With respect to census evolution, as compiled in **Figure 1**, over the last decade the number of animals has presented yearly oscillations between 1 and 7%, mainly associated with differences in the female census (**Figure 2**). The total census increased considerably from less than 1.8 million heads (previous years to 2007) to exceed the 3 million individuals in 2016/2017 [6], increasing all the cited groups, especially those from reproductive females, which increased from 1.3 million in 2006 to almost 2.2 million in 2007; the number of reproductive males is quite constant over the studied period in the figures.

Related to evolution over the last century (**Figure 3**), the census presents several cyclical oscillations, showing nowadays a similar number of heads to those registered at the beginning of the 1960s. A peak in the years that followed the incorporation of Spain into the EU (1986) can be seen; the oscillation on the census was probably related to the way the data were compiled according to the new European statistics.

**25**

*The Goat Sector in Spain: Situation, Local Breeds, and Production Systems*

*Evolution of the goat census in Spain segmented by type of animal (2007–2017). Source: [6].*

In Spain, the distribution of the goat census is not homogeneous throughout the country, for example the south (Andalusia) presents the higher concentration of heads (37.7%), followed by the center-east (Castilla la Mancha) (15.4%) and the west (Extremadura) (10.4%), followed by the southeast region (Murcia) (9.0%) and the Canary Islands (7.4%). Castilla la Mancha is the region with the greater increment of census during the last decade, which almost duplicates the presence of goats from 314,941 to 614,879 heads, ranking itself as the first region with the higher number of reproductive females for meat production (38.0% of the total census). However, the south is the region with the highest percentage of dairy goat

There was a small decrease in the number of farms between the years 2010 and 2012, from 68,789 to 65,981, and afterwards the number of farms increased progressively until 2016, when it reached a total of 78,756. The number of goat farms at the beginning of 2017 was 77,218 [7]. The evolution of the different farms depends on their productive orientation. While the number of dairy farms has decreased by 26.4% (from 9150 to 6733), the other farm categories (meat and dual purpose) have increased (11.2% and 17.3%, respectively), where in 2017 the total number meat farms was 55,954 and those focused on dual-purpose products reached 10,071 farms. Also, the number of fattening farms has decreased by 18.1% from 776 to 635 during the period 2010–2017 [7]. In 2017, of the total number of farms, 0.82% are dedicated to fattening, 8.72% to milk production, 13.04% to double production (dual purpose), and the majority are focused on meat production (72.46%). Those percentages represent 95.04% of the total registered farms; 5% of farms are not

In 2016 the number of live animals exported was 1,112,240, with the main destinations being Libya (69.02%) and France (15.76%). Related to the imports of

live animals, from a total of 297,329 heads, 88.75% came from France [6].

females (39.0% of the total on this category) [6, 7].

*Evolution of the goat census in Spain (1961–2016). Source: [3].*

officially classified according to their aptitude.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82539*

**Figure 2.**

**Figure 3.**

**Figure 1.** *Evolution of the goat census in Spain (2007–2016). Source: [3].*

*The Goat Sector in Spain: Situation, Local Breeds, and Production Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82539*

### **Figure 2.**

*Goats (Capra) - From Ancient to Modern*

and own experience.

Oceania.

**2. Materials and methods: research methodology**

In this chapter, documentary research was carried out to compile and analyze the main available official data regarding the goat sector in Spain. The main sources of information came from official statistical databases (the Spanish government's Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, the Statistical Office of the European Commission (Eurostat), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations database (FAOSTAT)). Also, technical

reports from various journals and research from scientific articles and books were reviewed, as well as data generated by the authors from their professional careers

The last available goat census shows that the world goat population in 2016 already exceeded 1 billion (1,002,810,368 heads) [3]: 55.4% of the census was located in Asia, 38.7% in Africa, 3.8% in America, 1.7% in Europe, and 0.4% in

Spain had approximately 3,088,000 registered heads in 2016 (state official census), representing 24.9% of the total European Union (EU) goat census (12,392,000 heads), occupying the second position in the ranking of countries with the highest

From the total number of Spanish goats, the majority (74.69%) is classified as reproductive females and only 3.23% are reproductive males; the rest of the live-

With respect to census evolution, as compiled in **Figure 1**, over the last decade the number of animals has presented yearly oscillations between 1 and 7%, mainly associated with differences in the female census (**Figure 2**). The total census increased considerably from less than 1.8 million heads (previous years to 2007) to exceed the 3 million individuals in 2016/2017 [6], increasing all the cited groups, especially those from reproductive females, which increased from 1.3 million in 2006 to almost 2.2 million in 2007; the number of reproductive males is quite

Related to evolution over the last century (**Figure 3**), the census presents several cyclical oscillations, showing nowadays a similar number of heads to those registered at the beginning of the 1960s. A peak in the years that followed the incorporation of Spain into the EU (1986) can be seen; the oscillation on the census was probably related to the way the data were compiled according to the new European

**3. An overview of the Spanish goat sector's current status**

goat numbers in the EU after Greece (3,990,000—32.2%) [6].

stock census are animals younger than 12 months (771,628 heads).

**3.1 Census, distribution, and husbandry**

constant over the studied period in the figures.

*Evolution of the goat census in Spain (2007–2016). Source: [3].*

**24**

**Figure 1.**

statistics.

*Evolution of the goat census in Spain segmented by type of animal (2007–2017). Source: [6].*

**Figure 3.** *Evolution of the goat census in Spain (1961–2016). Source: [3].*

In Spain, the distribution of the goat census is not homogeneous throughout the country, for example the south (Andalusia) presents the higher concentration of heads (37.7%), followed by the center-east (Castilla la Mancha) (15.4%) and the west (Extremadura) (10.4%), followed by the southeast region (Murcia) (9.0%) and the Canary Islands (7.4%). Castilla la Mancha is the region with the greater increment of census during the last decade, which almost duplicates the presence of goats from 314,941 to 614,879 heads, ranking itself as the first region with the higher number of reproductive females for meat production (38.0% of the total census). However, the south is the region with the highest percentage of dairy goat females (39.0% of the total on this category) [6, 7].

There was a small decrease in the number of farms between the years 2010 and 2012, from 68,789 to 65,981, and afterwards the number of farms increased progressively until 2016, when it reached a total of 78,756. The number of goat farms at the beginning of 2017 was 77,218 [7]. The evolution of the different farms depends on their productive orientation. While the number of dairy farms has decreased by 26.4% (from 9150 to 6733), the other farm categories (meat and dual purpose) have increased (11.2% and 17.3%, respectively), where in 2017 the total number meat farms was 55,954 and those focused on dual-purpose products reached 10,071 farms. Also, the number of fattening farms has decreased by 18.1% from 776 to 635 during the period 2010–2017 [7]. In 2017, of the total number of farms, 0.82% are dedicated to fattening, 8.72% to milk production, 13.04% to double production (dual purpose), and the majority are focused on meat production (72.46%). Those percentages represent 95.04% of the total registered farms; 5% of farms are not officially classified according to their aptitude.

In 2016 the number of live animals exported was 1,112,240, with the main destinations being Libya (69.02%) and France (15.76%). Related to the imports of live animals, from a total of 297,329 heads, 88.75% came from France [6].
